NL Central

NL West

Now Commenting On:

Hairston gets nod at second for opener

Hairston gets nod at second for opener

Email

Print

Jerry Hairston

By
/
|

DENVER -- Figuring out the lineup card has been a bit of a scramble for manager Don Mattingly in recent weeks, as numerous injuries have forced him to constantly reshuffle the names in play from his 25-man roster.

Five different players have taken a turn at second since Mark Ellis landed on the disabled list on May 19, with Jerry Hairston starting Friday's series opener in Colorado.

"I want to try to solidify second base," Mattingly said. "Instead of moving a bunch of different people, I know Jerry's going to play for the most part as much as I can. I'll give him a day, but I'm probably going to try and keep him at second a little more often to solidify the middle of the infield."

Hairston is one of four players Mattingly has counted on for versatility, along with Elian Herrera, A.J. Ellis and Ivan DeJesus, each of whom can play at least three different positions.

"I know it looks different when you see [newly called up rookie Alex Castellanos] and you see [Scott] Van Slyke and DeJesus, but we feel like these guys are all guys capable of hitting," Mattingly said. "We're going to win by playing defense and being able to pitch the ball. We're going to have to play our guys. ... So when we talk about a 25-man roster, we're going to use pretty much all of it."